Usdaw, the union for JD Sports’ staff, is calling on the company to close their Rochdale warehouse to protect 5,000 staff and the wider Rochdale community from coronavirus.
Hundreds of staff have expressed fears that the warehouse is a breeding ground for Coronavirus, due to poor hygiene and crowded working conditions. The company is refusing to close down, despite the fact that the Government would pay 80% of staff wages, leaving JD with a bill of only £5 million for a company that made £340 million profit last year.
Tony Clare – Usdaw Deputy Divisional Officer says: “This is disgraceful behaviour from one of the country’s biggest and most successful companies. They may be abiding by the letter of the Government guidelines, which are now being shown to be an absolute shambles, but this is not in the spirit of what the Government and more importantly the public expect. Selling trainers and sports fashion is not an essential service in the middle of our greatest ever national emergency.
“Unfortunately this is not surprising, the company has an appalling record when it comes to the health and safety of their staff. We are calling on JD to do the right thing for once and close the warehouse for everyone’s safety.”
